Appendix for the Draft version of

A booklet on the Turnpike Roads around Reading

By Alan Rosevear – written in 2004

APPENDIX R;

Speculation on the lines of Roman Roads around Calleva Atrebatum

Knowing the line of the paved roads that radiated from the Roman town of Calleva is important both to guide the search for Roman artefacts and to understand the foundations from which the later road network developed. Evidence for the lines of Roman Roads in this region can be found in the following sources;

· The straight line routes following lanes, roads and parish boundaries between proven Roman settlements, particularly London, Silchester, Cirencester, Dorchester, Winchester. Mildenhall and east Anton.

· The cropmarks, gateways and excavated streets at Silchester.

· The Antonine Itinerary

· Place names

In considering the Roman road network around the middle Thames and Kennet valleys, the road hub at Calleva is central. The town constructed by the Romans over the Celtic tribal site had a gridiron layout oriented to the main points of the compass (Fulford 1995). The road from Londinium is clearly discernible for several miles over the Surrey Heath land and there is general agreement that the Devil’s Highway, traceable from Bagshot to Silchester is the remains of the roman road. Significantly it forms both the Parish and County Boundary for some miles to the east of Silchester and approaches Calleva in line with the street layout.

There are three potential routes westwards from Calleva to Cunetione.

1) A direct line NW crossing both the lower Kennet and the Lambourne.

2) A road due west to cross the Enbourne and then the Kennet.

There are two variations to the second option

2a crosses the Lower Enbourne at Shalford

2b crosses the upper Enbourne at Knightsbridge.

The direct road, option 1, has the weight of tradition to support it but very little material evidence. Roman remains were found at Thatcham beside the probable road and in Brimpton Parish there is a reference to the Bridge of the Britains that is claimed as the point where the road crossed the Kennet. However, no evidence of a crossing survives, unlike the case at Shalford on the Enbourne which has apparently been in continuous use as a crossing for centuries. The direct route option 1 would also make the road unique amongst Roman roads of the area in that it would have run for a considerable distance along the floor of as river valley when a suitable ridgeway (option 2) could be used.

The east/west line of the County Boundary continues a little to the west of Silchester, again running parallel with the street plan of Calleva and with the Devils Highway. In addition, the excavations at Calleva have identified cropmarks on an east/west line for several hundred metres beyond the west gate (Fulford 1995). Furthermore, OS maps of the early 20th century mark the Nymph or Imp stone about 2 miles due west of Silchester on the County Boundary line. The Imp Stone presumably got its name from the letters IMP, signifying part of the word Emperor on milestone beside an important road. The Imp stone was used as a marker for defining the route of the turnpike roads many centuries after the collapse of the administration that had it erected, but sadly now this stone seems to have disappeared.

Hence, it seems most likely that the road west from Calleva continued the line of the Devils Highway and that the speculative line on the modern Ordnance Survey maps is unlikely to be correct.

The First Series OS map shows the line of the old Country Boundary (and presumably the Roman Road) aligning with Ashford Hill but the Boundary veers off towards the Enborne. From here westwards there is no firm evidence for the road but it must cross the Enborne and the Kennet reach Spinis, the next posting place named on the Antonine Itinerary. Although there is no archaeological evidence, it is generally accepted that Spinis was in what is now the Parish of Speen, north west of Newbury. From Speen a series of straight tracks and coincidental parish boundaries mark a very plausible line for the road to the next post on Iter XIII, Corinium or Cirencester

Spinis appears to have lain on the spur between the Lambourn and Kennet rivers and the Roman road used the ridgeway north west of Speen. Projecting this road southeast from Speen could put the Roman crossing close to the present centre (church) of Newbury. Having dismissed the direct route as the preferred main road, it is no easier to choose between the two possible routes across the Enbourne. Both converge on ancient crossings where the earliest maps showed the only two bridges over this river. Old maps show a track continuing south eastwards from Newbury to Knightsbridge on the upper Enborne. This was one of only two bridges over the Enborne shown on Saxton’s map of Berkshire, suggesting that it was an ancient crossing point (the other crossing at Wasing is on the line of the ridgeway road running along the Kennet valley). Projecting this line and that established as far as Ashford would indicate that the change in direction of the Roman Road was on Headley Common. Interestingly, the modern OS map does indicates that Roman remains were found at this location and enigmatically a “stone” is marked at the point where the roads would diverge, though this stone has disappeared. The alternative route through Shalford is also clear on old maps following the ridgeway over Greenham Common.

The evidence that the road from Calleva to Spinis was not as direct as that on the modern OS map also comes from the Itinerary of Antonine, dating from the second or third century (Codrington 1903). Relevant sections of this record are given in the Tables below.

Section of Iter VII

Roman Name	Modern equivalent	Distance (mpm)
Venta Belgarum Calleva Atrebatum Pontibus Londinio	Winchester Silchester “Staines/Egham” London	x xxii xxii xxii

Section of Iter XIII

Roman Name	Modern equivalent	Distance (mpm)
Clevo Duroconovio Spinis Calleva	Gloucester Cirencester Speen Silchester	xv xiiii xv xv

Section of Iter XIV

Roman Name	Modern equivalent	Distance (mpm)
Cunetione Spinis Calleva	Mildenhall (Marlborough) Speen Silchester	xx xv xv

The Roman mile (mpm) was not the same as an English Statute mile so the itinerary needs calibrating against distances between two known locations. The road from Londinium to Calleva is well established and is equivalent to 44 mpm. Pontes must be half way along this road. It is now thought to be have been beside a stone bridge over the Thames at Staines (the place of stones) (Philips 1981), but the half way point on the Antonine Itinerary would put the post on the west bank of the river close to Egham. Using this calibration, the direct road from Calleva to Spinis would be much less than the 15mpm in the Itinerary. The more angular route suggested above adds significantly to the distance, though to achieve the 15 mpm would require some further deviation or the location of Spinis to be in the north-west part of the Parish of Speen. This latter would also be more consistent with the distance given in the Itinerary from Spinis to Cunetio.

The road northwards from Calleva to Alchester clearly must have left through the North Gate but there is no string evidence for its line beyond this. There is a small village named North Street near to Theale. This is due north of the Silchester gate and is named on a north south axis on Rocque's map of 1760, suggesting the name is of some antiquity. It would certainly be logical for the Romans to have used the Pangbourne Valley to reach the Thames. Tradition and evidence from the Saxon Charters has the road on the south bank of the Thames crossing at the old ford near Dorchester. It is possible that a more direct road that crossed the river near Pangbourn could have existed, perhaps co-existed. Intriguingly, there are place names suggesting a Roman Road still further north at Exlade Street and slightly further north of this is Cold Harbour Farm at Crowmarsh. Although the Goring gap at Streatley would have presented a significant challenge to early road builders, the balance of probability must be for the west bank route for the main road. It allows a river crossing close to an occupied site, higher up the river, fewer steep climbs and better alignments with the northern section of the road. Consequently Exlade Street and Cold Harbour Farm would be relegated to sites on roads running to Henley from crossings of the river at Wallingford and Moulsford.

Enborne Street (or The Street), south west of Newbury, is the final example of a potential Roman Road in this area. It could be on a line due west from the Knightsbridge crossing on a line towards Cunetio. Alternatively it might be a road radiating from Spinis towards Sarum. On balance the position on a road running parallel to the Kennet seems the more likely.

END